Paul Long has wanted to be a firefighter since he was a boy. He started as a volunteer firefighter/EMT with the York County Department of Fire and Life Safety, but he always knew he would make it a career and has been with the department for 14 years. Now a captain, he helps train fellow firefighters by developing and coordinating the department's training programs. He also works with county residents through the Community Emergency Response Team training program. Long's efforts have won him numerous award through the years.

The former skipper of the USS Enterprise who lost his job after producing lewd videos is attempting to mobilize public support in advance of a key judicial proceeding. Capt. Owen P. Honors has launched a website, urging friends and supporters to submit comments to members of a Board of Inquiry. The board will determine whether Honors should be separated from the Navy after a 27-year career, and if so, what type of discharge he should receive. The board may also make a recommendation to Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus on Honors' final pay grade for retirement purposes, according to the website.

Harry Martin Chapman Sr., 62, who retired from the Naval Weapons Station, Yorktown, as a fire captain after 20 years of service, died Jan. 1, 2005. The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday at Vincent Funeral Home, West Point.

A former Richmond fire captain was sentenced to four years in prison on Tuesday for his role in a fatal boat crash on the Chesapeake Bay last summer that killed his brother's fiancee and injured several others, including four children. Steve Nixon had entered a guilty plea on charges of aggravated manslaughter, malicious wounding, driving a boat under the influence and four counts of felony child neglect.. Click here to read the full report on the fatal boat wreck .

Mr. and Mrs. Daniel C. Inge of Poquoson, Va., are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter, Jennifer Danielle Inge, to Bradley Scott Burgess, son of Mr. and Mrs. Larry Burgess of Hayes, Va. Jennifer is a support services technician at Riverside Regional Medical Center, Newport News, Va. Bradley is a fire captain at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth. The wedding is planned for August 2, 2003.

Roy Welford Matheny Jr. died Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2005. He retired from Camp Peary, where he was a fire captain for 23 years. He was also a volunteer with the James City Bruton Fire Department in Toano for 47 years. He is survived by wife, Sherry L. Matheny; son, Daniel L. Matheny; daughter, Lisa H. Matheny; sister, Carolyn Amos; and many nephews and nieces. A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28, in the chapel of Bucktrout of Williamsburg Funeral Home. Interment will follow at Williamsburg Memorial Park.

Two businesses in the Ivy Farms Shopping Center were destroyed by fire Sunday, and a third was damaged by smoke and water. The shopping center is in the 10700 block of Jefferson Avenue at Ivy Farms Road, a few blocks south of Harpersville Road. Flames were shooting through the roof of Ivy Farms Billiards and Restaurant when firefighters arrived at 4:03 a.m., four minutes after receiving the fire call, said Newport News Fire Department spokeswoman Dana Perry. Firefighters went inside the Jefferson Avenue business, but the roof trusses already were damaged, and the roof could have collapsed on them, she said.

After 42 years on the job, T.K. Weiler is hanging up his fire hat for good. Weiler, who has served as Williamsburg's fire chief for 18 years, said he plans to retire from the department in July, city officials said Friday. A Pennsylvania native, Weiler began working for the city as a firefighter in 1967 after serving in the Navy. He was the first hire for then-City Manager Frank Force, city officials said. Weiler rose through the ranks of the department, serving as first lieutenant, where he was responsible for the operation of a platoon of firefighters.

Firefighters were just about done putting out a blaze in a house early Saturday morning when they heard a hissing sound. It was gas. "They backed out," said Linwood Lovett, assistant fire marshal in Newport News. "You don't want to panic on something like that. You want to get out safely." The gas in this case might have been able to fuel the fire but probably did not have the combination of heat and chemicals to explode, Lovett said. The firefighters were able to get the gas turned off, he said.

A 13-month-old York County girl was being transferred to a hospital specializing in burns Sunday night after she received second- and third-degree burns over 80 percent of her body in a cooking oil spill. Haley Wright was at her grandparents' house on Judith Circle in the Coventry Subdivision, said Bob Brown, a fire captain. Apparently, the girl pulled the cord attached to an electric cooker, filled with oil, which was on a kitchen counter, Brown said. The cooker fell on her, he said.

After 42 years on the job, T.K. Weiler is hanging up his fire hat for good. Weiler, who has served as Williamsburg's fire chief for 18 years, said he plans to retire from the department in July, city officials said Friday. A Pennsylvania native, Weiler began working for the city as a firefighter in 1967 after serving in the Navy. He was the first hire for then-City Manager Frank Force, city officials said. Weiler rose through the ranks of the department, serving as first lieutenant, where he was responsible for the operation of a platoon of firefighters.

Capt. Jason Monk of Hampton Fire & Rescue was awarded the Peninsulas EMS Council (PEMS) Regional Award for Outstanding EMS Administrator at the annual Regional Awards Picnic held June 7 at Beaver Dam Park in Gloucester. The names of winners from Virginia's 11 regional EMS councils are submitted to the EMS Advisory Board to compete at the state level in the Governor's EMS Awards. Those winners will be announced Nov. 15 at the Annual EMS Symposium held in Norfolk. The statewide recognition honors exceptional contributions that members of Virginia's EMS system make in the communities they serve.

Paul Long has wanted to be a firefighter since he was a boy. He started as a volunteer firefighter/EMT with the York County Department of Fire and Life Safety, but he always knew he would make it a career and has been with the department for 14 years. Now a captain, he helps train fellow firefighters by developing and coordinating the department's training programs. He also works with county residents through the Community Emergency Response Team training program. Long's efforts have won him numerous award through the years.

Bettie Reeves-Nobles Job Title: Administrative battalion chief in charge of fire training and medical operations Education: A.A.S. in fire science, B.S. in fire administration and Master of Public Administration with a concentration in human resources management Career History: When I joined the Hampton Division of Fire and Rescue in 1984, I was a single parent raising two daughters (ages 6 and 8). While they were in public schools and college pursuing their education, I pursued mine as well and worked part-time.

Roy Welford Matheny Jr. died Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2005. He retired from Camp Peary, where he was a fire captain for 23 years. He was also a volunteer with the James City Bruton Fire Department in Toano for 47 years. He is survived by wife, Sherry L. Matheny; son, Daniel L. Matheny; daughter, Lisa H. Matheny; sister, Carolyn Amos; and many nephews and nieces. A funeral service will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28, in the chapel of Bucktrout of Williamsburg Funeral Home. Interment will follow at Williamsburg Memorial Park.

NEWSMAKERS Andrew C. Robertson of American Legion Post 83, Mathews, was recently elected vice commander of the Department of Virginia for the Eastern Region. His area includes more than 80 posts and 15,000 Legionnaires from Norfolk to Richmond. His wife, Dianna M. Robertson, gave his nominating speech at the state convention. He graduated from the Naval Academy and has a master's degree from George Washington University. He served in the military for 30 years and has taught in Gloucester and Essex counties.

NEWSMAKERS Andrew C. Robertson of American Legion Post 83, Mathews, was recently elected vice commander of the Department of Virginia for the Eastern Region. His area includes more than 80 posts and 15,000 Legionnaires from Norfolk to Richmond. His wife, Dianna M. Robertson, gave his nominating speech at the state convention. He graduated from the Naval Academy and has a master's degree from George Washington University. He served in the military for 30 years and has taught in Gloucester and Essex counties.

Harry Martin Chapman Sr., 62, of King & Queen, Va., died Jan. 1, 2005, at his home. Harry retired in 1993 from the Naval Weapons Station as a Fire Captain after 20 years of service. He was a member of Beulah Baptist Church and a veteran of the U.S. Navy. He was a member of Masonic Lodge #238 A.F. and A.M., Harry was an honorary member of Lower King and Queen Volunteer Fire Department and West Point Volunteer Fire and Rescue Squad Inc. He was past President of the Tidewater Fireman's Association and Chaplain of the Rappahannock Fireman's Association.